The villa doors slammed shut behind us, echoing through the marble entryway. Elena flinched at the sound, her fingers tightening around mine for a split second before she forced herself to pull away as if the contact burned her.
She didn't realize that letting go only made me want to pull her closer.
Enzo stepped inside after us, dripping rain onto the polished floor. "Boss," he said quietly, "we caught the rider."
Elena's breath hitched.My pulse sharpened.
"Where?" I asked.
"In the cellar. Waiting for you."
I felt Elena stiffen beside me.
She didn't know what the cellar meant.
But she would.
I turned to her, tipping her chin up so she had to meet my eyes.
"You're safe here," I murmured.
She swallowed hard. "Safe? Someone just shot at me, Luca."
"And I handled it," I said. "Now I'm going to find out why."
She shook her head, backing up slightly. "I didn't come here for this."
"You came here," I corrected softly, "because I saved your life."
Her breath trembled.
"And because you still trust me more than him."
She froze at that truth.
I stepped closer, lowering my voice. "Stay upstairs. Bedroom is on the right. Don't wander."
"I'm not a prisoner."
"You're not," I said, brushing a loose curl behind her ear."But you're mine to protect. And tonight makes that non-negotiable."
The words hit her harder than I expected.
Her lips parted. Her eyes softened. For one second she let herself lean into the warmth of my hand.
Then she stepped back.
"We'll talk after I'm done," I said quietly."Don't go anywhere."
Her voice barely made it out."Luca… don't do anything reckless."
I smirked. "Reckless is kind. I'm about to interrogate the man who tried to kill you."
"And what does that mean?" she whispered.
"It means," I murmured with a dark tilt of my head, "you don't want to see me when I'm in that mood."
A shiver rolled down her spine.Not fear.
Not entirely.
Enzo cleared his throat. "Boss."
I tore my gaze from her and nodded.
"Lock the doors," I told him. "No one in. No one out."
He obeyed immediately.
And I headed downstairs.
The cellar smelled of cold stone and secrets.
Dim lights flickered along the walls, illuminating the man tied to the steel chair in the center. His helmet had been removed—his face bruised from the takedown, blood dried on his lip.
He glared at me with a mixture of panic and defiance.
"Rossi," he spat.
I didn't respond.
Enzo shut the door behind us.
I removed my jacket, rolling up my sleeves. The man's eyes widened slightly at the movement.
"You shot at her," I said.
"I shot at you," he corrected.
My jaw flexed. "You missed."
He smirked. "Wasn't aiming properly the first time. Was just a warning."
Wrong answer.
I moved so fast he didn't see it coming—my hand slammed into the back of his chair, tilting it just enough to make him lose balance.
"Next time," I murmured in his ear, "be very precise with what you intend."
He swallowed hard.
"Who sent you?" I asked.
He stared defiantly. "Go to hell."
"I live there," I replied, grabbing a fistful of his hair and yanking his head back.
Enzo stepped forward, cracking his knuckles.
But I lifted a hand."No. He talks to me."
The man trembled.
"Rossi—"
"I'll make you a deal," I said, crouching in front of him. "Tell me who ordered her death, and I let you walk out with only a broken arm."
His eyes widened.
"Or," I continued softly, "stay silent… and I tear apart every syndicate in Florence until I find who you work for. And when I do, I won't stop at them."
The man blinked rapidly.
"I'll go after their families. Their friends. Their estates."
My voice dropped to a whisper filled with steel:
"And when I'm done… I'll come back for you."
His breathing broke.
Fear—pure, primal fear—shattered his resolve.
"It was Moretti!" he rasped. "The order came from the Moretti family!"
I felt something in my chest snap.
"Elena was the target?" I asked.
He nodded violently.
"Why her?"
He hesitated.
I gripped his jaw. "Speak."
"Because she's… your weakness."
My blood ran hot.
Enzo cursed under his breath.
I stood slowly, letting the truth settle like poison.
They knew.The whole city knew.My enemies knew.
Elena wasn't just a woman I wanted.She was the one thing that could destroy me.
And the Morettis wanted to use her to break me.
A rage so dark it tasted metallic swelled through me.
"Boss," Enzo said softly. "What do we do with him?"
I didn't have to think.
"He saw too much. He knows too much."I turned toward the door."Get rid of him. Quietly."
The man screamed as Enzo dragged him away.
But I didn't look back.
My mind was already upstairs.
With her.
When I reached the top floor, I expected silence.
Not this.
Not the soft sound of footsteps pacing back and forth.Not the quick, anxious breaths.Not the moment I saw her walking toward the balcony, rainlight spilling around her like a halo.
She turned sharply when she sensed me.
Her eyes searched mine—worried, angry, relieved.
"What happened down there?" she whispered.
"Handled," I said.
"That means nothing."
"It means you're safe."
She stepped closer, fire in her voice. "But at what cost, Luca? What did you do?"
I didn't answer.
She took another step. "Look at me."
I did.
And everything in me unraveled.
Her hair was still damp from the rain. Her cheeks flushed from fear and adrenaline. Her chest rose quickly beneath her coat.
She was beautiful.
And she was mine.
I closed the distance between us slowly, deliberately, like a predator giving its prey a chance to run.
She didn't run.
"Elena," I murmured, brushing a wet strand from her cheek, "the Moretti family ordered the hit."
Her eyes widened in horror.
"They targeted you," I continued, voice unsteady with the fury I'd been fighting. "Because they think hurting you will hurt me."
Her lips parted. "…Would it?"
I laughed quietly, bitterly."More than a bullet."
Her breath trembled.
"Luca—"
"You are the one thing they can use against me," I said, stepping closer until her back pressed against the wall."And they know it."
Her voice was barely a whisper. "Why me?"
I leaned in, my forehead brushing hers.
"Because I can live without power," I said softly."I can live without the empire."My hand slid to her waist, fingers gripping just enough to make her breath stutter."But I can't live without you."
She gasped.
My other hand rested on the wall beside her head.Caging her.Shielding her.Claiming her.
"You still feel it," I whispered. "Don't lie."
Her fingers curled into the front of my shirt, not pushing me away—holding on.
"Luca…" she breathed, voice trembling with emotion and heat, "you terrify me."
My lips brushed her temple."Good. Maybe fear will keep you alive."
She tilted her face up, eyes dark. "And you?"
I paused.
"What about you?" she whispered. "What terrifies Luca Rossi?"
My answer was a confession carved from my ribs.
"You."
Her lips parted in shock.
Her heartbeat slammed into mine.
"Elena," I said softly, "you terrify me because you don't obey. Because you don't fear me. Because you make me feel something I can't control."
Her fingers tightened in my shirt.
"And that," I whispered against her lips, "makes you the most dangerous person in my world."
She closed her eyes.Her breath shook.Her body leaned into mine, helplessly, naturally, like she had been fighting gravity itself.
My thumb lifted her chin gently.
"Elena…"The word broke on my tongue."Don't make me let you go again."
Her eyes opened.
And what I saw there shattered every defense I had left—fear, longing, anger, desire, heartbreak, and something deeper.
Something that belonged only to me.
She whispered one word.
"Luca…"
And I knew then—
She was falling again.
And this time…I wasn't letting her hit the ground.